


Can't Run From Love

by carebearcaryn21



Category: Glee
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-30
Updated: 2015-09-30
Packaged: 2018-04-24 04:18:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4905211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carebearcaryn21/pseuds/carebearcaryn21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mercedes lives her life on the road. She never sticks around in places too long. A love affair with Sam leaves her a special surprise a month later after she leaves Sam behind. Will love prevail or will Mercedes continue to run from it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Can't Run From Love**

**Summary: Mercedes lives her life on the road. She never sticks around in places too long. A love affair with Sam leaves her a special surprise a month later after she leaves Sam behind. Will love prevail or will Mercedes continue to run from it?**

**Chapter 1:**

She ran. She always did. She ran from every good or bad thing that happened in her life.

She met him at a bar. She had just gotten off work and came to take the edge off. She was just going to get buzzed and then walk to her motel until she was rudely interrupted.

“Hi-”

“No” She interrupted the man who dared to approach her.

“But-”

“No” She impeded him again.

“You aren't even letting me say anything.” The man said frustrated.

“Let me guess, you're going to give me some cheesy pick-up line and hope that works. Well I'm sorry mister, but no.” She said as she finally raised her head to look upon the man who dared to advance on her. He was beautiful with lean and toned muscles and unruly blonde hair that she wanted to run her hands through. That's not good. 

“No, I was going to tell you that you have a beautiful smile and I'd like to see more of it.” The man said as he smiled a crooked grin at her.

“Still a little cheesy, but okay you may sit and entertain me for awhile.” She said as she gestured to the open stool on her left.

“Sweet.” The man smiled as he sat down. “Can I buy you a drink?” 

“Sure, but I need to know your name first. I don't take drinks from strangers.” She said as she gulped down what was left of her gin and tonic.

“My name's Sam. Sam I am and I do not like green eggs and ham.” The man named Sam rehearsed as if he had been introducing himself that way his whole life.

“Have you ever tried green eggs and ham? How would you know if you don't like it?” She questioned him amused.

“Ah, so you do know Dr. Suess and no I have never actually tried green eggs and ham.” He said as he blatantly stared at her.

“Well you never know, you might actually like it. And yes you can buy me a drink, Sam.” Mercedes said as she blushed and ducked her head from his fowardness.

“Ah, but see here's the problem. I don't buy drinks to unnamed beauties.” He said as he gazed intensely upon her.

“The name's Mercedes and I'll take another gin and tonic.” She said stoically, trying to let his words not affect her.

“Right away, Mer-ce-des.” Sam said as he played out her name in a way that made Mercedes shiver. His attention then turned to the bar. “Bar keep, I'll take a gin and tonic for the beautiful lady and a whiskey sour for me.” 

“Right away, sir.” The bartender said as he hurried to make their drinks.

“So, what brings you here?” Sam asked as he turned towards her expectantly.

“The wind.” Mercedes said nonchalantly.

“The wind? So does that mean you fly like the breeze and never stay in one place for very long?” Sam asked as he scoffed a little.

“Yes, exactly.” She shrugged her shoulders, blowing his reaction off.

“If I may be so bold, why?” Sam questioned honestly as he heatedly stared upon Mercedes. He wanted to know more.

The bartender placed their drinks in front of them and Mercedes was relieved for the distraction. She grabbed her drink and took a big gulp. 

“Next question.” Mercedes said as she turned away from him. She just met him, she wasn't going to give away all her secrets too soon.

Just then a particular song came on that Sam could simply not refused to dance to. “How about a dance?” Sam asked as he stored his previous question into the back of his mind for future reference before he extended his hand to help her up.

Mercedes raised her head and turned towards Sam. She knew the song and was interested to see if the man had moves. “Okay.” She replied as she grabbed his hand.

Sam brought her to the dance floor and brought her back to his front.

_I left my girl back home_  
_I don't love her no more_  
_And she'll never fucking know that_  
_These fucking eyes that I'm staring at_  
_Let me see that ass_  
_Look at all this cash_  
_And I emptied out my cards to her  
_ _Now I'm fucking leaning on that_

Sam got a nice grinding rhythm going as he body rolled into Mercedes. Mercedes took all of what he gave her and gave it back ten-fold as she grinded her ass on his front. She reached out her left arm to grab the back of his head to bring him closer to her.

_Bring your love baby I could bring my shame_  
_Bring the drugs baby I could bring my pain_  
_I got my heart right here_  
_I got my scars right here_  
_Bring the cups baby I could bring the drank_  
_Bring your body baby I could bring you fame_  
_And that's my motherfucking words too  
_ _Just let me motherfucking love you_

Sam switched it up as he turned Mercedes around so they were dancing front to front. He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer before resting his forehead on hers as their bodies moved in their heated dance.

_Listen ma I'll give you all I got_  
_Get me off of this_  
_I need confidence in myself_  
_Listen ma I'll give you all of me_  
_Give me all of it  
_ _I need all of it to myself_

Mercedes raised her arms to cradle Sam's neck.

_So tell me you love me_  
_Only for tonight_  
_Only for one night_  
_Even though you don't love me_  
_Just tell me you love me_  
_I'll give you what I need_  
_I'll give you all of me  
_ _Even though you don't love me_

Sam raised his head to place a gentle kiss upon Mercedes forehead.

_Let me see you dance_  
_I love to watch you dance_  
_Take you down another level_  
_And get you dancing with the devil_  
_Take a shot of this_  
_But I'm warning you_  
_I'm on that shit that you can't smell baby  
_ _So put down your perfume_

Sam then ghosted his lips down and placed a kiss on each of her eyelids.

_Bring your love baby I could bring my shame_  
_Bring the drugs baby I could bring my pain_  
_I got my heart right here_  
_I got my scars right here_  
_Bring the cups baby I could bring the drank_  
_Bring your body baby I could bring you fame_  
_And that's my motherfucking word too  
_ _So let me motherfucking love you_

Then her cute button nose.

_Listen ma I'll give you all I got_  
_Get me off of this_  
_I need confidence in myself_  
_Listen ma I'll give you all of me_  
_Give me all of it  
_ _I need all of it to myself_

And then he hovered over her lips, waiting for Mercedes to make the final decision.

_So tell me you love me_  
_Only for tonight_  
_Only for one night_  
_Even though you don't love me_  
_Just tell me you love me_  
_I'll give you what I need_  
_I'll give you all of me_  
_Even though you don't love me_

“I can't.” Mercedes said as she broke away from Sam's grip on her. She then ran right out of the bar away from him. She ran all the way from the bar to her hotel room and didn't stop until the door was locked. It wasn't a long distance. It was a pretty small town that she was staying at so she walked everywhere. She opened the blinds and checked to see if her baby was still parked where she left it. Mercedes' baby was a 1966 blue Ford Mustang Coupe. She cherished the car and always kept it in great repair. It was the only thing her mother left her before she died.

Mercedes took a deep breath and got ready for bed. Once she finished brushing her teeth and climbed into bed, she tried to fall asleep. Sleep however didn't come easy because her mind kept on turning to Sam. She kind of liked his persistence and he wasn't bad to look at at all. Maybe she'd enjoy the Sam ride because from what she witnessed she knew that he would give it to her good. There however was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind like they're always was. How do you now if you can trust him? What if he hurts you like- no. She wouldn't let that happen. No way, no how. If things got too bad again, she'd do what she always would do. Run. She broke away from her thoughts and finally managed to get some sleep.

The next day, Mercedes was at work at one of the local restaurants in town. It was always a job she was good at and she could always depend on it from town to town. 

She was serving some customers when she heard the door chime. Whoever it was that walked in, sat in her section. 

“I'll be right with you.” Mercedes said as she finished what she was working on. She never really glanced up to get a good look at the person until she was right in front of the table the person sat at. She was too busy writing in her order pad.

“What can I get you?” Mercedes asked as she finally looked up and noticed that it was Sam. “Oh, it's you.”

“Me.” He smiled his crooked grin at her. “Hmm, how about you?”

“Me?” She scoffed at him. “I'm sorry, but I'm not on the menu.”

“That's too bad because you look mighty tasty. Can you get me the club sandwich please and a chocolate shake?” Sam asked as he never took his eyes off of her. Just like last night, his sight never went too far from the ravishing woman that he was entranced with.

“Right away, Sam.” Mercedes said as she backed away from him to place his order.

Sam was persistent and didn't give up on Mercedes. He came to the diner everyday to see her and they quickly became friends. He tried to break down her walls, but Mercedes was stubborn. He was stubborn as well.

It was the second week of his courtship and Mercedes kind of just wanted to give into him to make him shut up. 

It was closing time and Sam was in his normal booth, just drinking coffee and watching Mercedes work. Mercedes was wiping down all of her tables before putting the chairs up because the owner, who locked up, always mopped the floors before he left for the night. She finished one table and the only one left to do was Sam's. She grabbed her rag and approached his table.

She started to clean the opposite side from where Sam was seated. Once she was finished, she then moved closer to Sam's side to wipe all of the table down. She was just doing her worked and didn't notice Sam at all until his lips were on hers.

She tried to pull away, but he gripped her head with both of his big hands to keep her there. She refused to kiss him back right away, but the feeling of his lips entranced her until she was moving her lips with his. 

Sam licked her lower lip and she gasped. Sam took that as entrance and soon their tongues were tangling and fighting for dominance. They didn't stop kissing until the necessity for air became to much and then Mercedes pulled away.

“Hey, you stole that.” Mercedes said a little muffed.

“Stole what?” Sam enthused nonchalantly.

“That kiss.” Mercedes replied as she went back to work and finished cleaning the table until Sam had rudely interrupted her.

“Umm, and what a good kiss that was. I'd love to steal some more from you.” Sam said as he finished his last gulp of coffee before lifting the cup so that Mercedes could wipe underneath it. Still holding the cup, Sam slithered out of his seat and towered over Mercedes. 

Once Mercedes was finished, she grabbed her rag and Sam's cup and brought them back to the kitchens. She placed the cup in the sink and the rag on top of the faucet before she grabbed her coat and made her way back to Sam. 

“You can steal a lot more than that if you follow me to my motel room.” Mercedes flirted as she swayed towards the exit away from Sam, hoping that he was in hot pursuit of her. She was sure that she was giving him a nice show of her ass. 

She wanted to explore Sam. He had waited long enough and that meant he deserved a treat. 

He was too persistent and it was rather cute. After their first night together, Sam would always come back for more. And he wouldn't be pleased, not until he had her in her bed, naked and thrusting into her over and over.

She was mewling with pleasure. He was the only man who ever made her feel like this. 

“I'm gonna...” She screamed as she clenched him deliciously. She milked his cock with her orgasm for all his worth. He couldn't last long now as he thrusted three more times within her before he spurted his cum inside of her. He collapsed into her neck and blacked out for a little bit.

“I love you.” He whispered into her neck as he reigned kisses on her up towards her face. It had only been two months since their first meeting at the bar.

This is way too early for love, she thought. 

“I told you not to fall in love with me.” She stated as she tried to turn her face away from his kisses.

“I couldn't help it.” He said before he placed a chaste kiss upon her mouth. He had already had her three times that night and he was kind of exhausted. He slumped off of her and on to the other side of the bed.

“Okay.” She replied as she got up from the bed. “Thank you.” She started to search for her clothes to get dressed. She just needed to get out.

He tried to hide his disappointment that she didn't say those three words back. He swallowed a breath. “Where ya goin' darlin'?” He asked as he got up from the bed. He stilled her hands to stop her search. 

“Stay with me.” He said as he dragged her back to the bed. “Stay with me forever.” He whispered into her ear as he wrapped his arms around her to cuddle in the spooning position. 

“Okay.” She said as she took a deep breath in. “Just for the night.” She mumbled out.

“What was that?” He asked as he opened and shut his eyes, trying to feign off sleep. 

“I said goodnight, Sam.” She said a little louder.

“Goodnight, Mercedes.”

 

She was gone before he even woke up in the morning. She went on her way. Town to town. Week to week. Trying to get him outta her mind. Nothing every worked.

Mercedes was working as a waitress in an Italian restaurant, she had been there for about a week. She was halfway through her shift and she wasn't feeling too hot. She was serving a customer their plate and had to excuse herself to run off to the bathroom and throw up.

Her coworker, an Asian bombshell named Tina, found her in the bathroom. Tina and Mercedes had hit it off from the start as soon as Mercedes started working at Sylvester's. They both complained about their bitch of a boss to each other and were pretty good acquaintances. Mercedes knew that if she really stuck around, her and Tina would be great friends, but that wasn't going to happen. Something would make her want to run and she would leave Tina without an afterthought of the girl. 

“What are you sick?” Tina asked as she eyed Mercedes skeptically.

Mercedes got up from her place on the floor in front of the toilet, and flushed it. “Yea I think it's just a bug that I picked up from one of the customers.” Mercedes stated as she started to wash her hands.

“You're not pregnant, are you?” Tina interrupted Mercedes thoughts as she finished drying off her hands.

“What?” Mercedes yelled abruptly as she spun towards where Tina had planted herself.

“I asked if you were pregnant or not?” Tina stated slowly so that Mercedes could comprehend her words. She raised her eyebrows at Mercedes and waited for her answer.

“No. No. No, that's not possible.” Mercedes denied, but then her thoughts like many times before turned to Sam. He didn't wear a condom that last time, did he? She questioned in her head.

“Dammit.” Mercedes spoke aloud. “Tina, can you cover for me?” She asked as she collected herself and left the bathroom with Tina right on her heels. 

“Sure, no problem.” Tina replied as Mercedes grabbed her stuff from under the counter.

“Okay. Bye Mercedes.” Tina yelled as Mercedes walked out of the restaurant. Mercedes didn't answer her, but she did throw a wave to Tina behind her. Mercedes first stop once she was in the car was a pharmacy station. She bought a couple of pregnancy tests to be sure and then she left town as fast as the wind could carry her.

She stopped at a gas station along the way to skip town and find somewhere new. She made her way to the bathroom. Once the door was closed and locked, she took out the tests and took them. Then she waited for the outcome of her future.

Once the correct amount of minutes passes, Mercedes looked up and grabbed the tests from where she placed them. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She then opened her eyes at the count of three and read the results. All of the tests said one thing...

_Pregnant._


	2. Lost Without You

**Chapter 2: Lost Without You**

Sam took a deep breath as he opened his eyes to the sunlight shining in through his window. It had been about more than a month since Mercedes had left, taking his heart with her. 

He just couldn't fathom why. It was such a short time, but he had fallen in love with her. He loved her laugh, her smile. She had a kind heart and was very patient at her waitress job. Everyone fell in love with her if she was their waitress. She liked to bite her lip when she was nervous and her eyes twinkled when she spoke about her interests. It was the small things about her that he couldn't help but love. Once they had made love for the first time, he decided that she was it for him. Nobody else could make him feel like she did. She ruined him for other women and then she just up and left. 

If he had known that telling her he loved her would cause her to pack up and leave, he wouldn't have said it. Anything to keep her here with him. But he guessed that was just in her nature. She was perfect in his eyes, but if he could change one thing about her, he'd change her urge to leave him. 

Sam got up out of bed even though he didn't feel like it. Life moved on, Mercedes might have moved on, so Sam had to keep on going. He went into his bathroom and started to get ready for work. He showered, brushed his teeth and dressed all in a very short time. 

Sam lived in a small dingy one bedroom apartment. He did have more than enough money saved in the bank and he could move into some place greater, but he didn't care. He liked his apartment. The landlord was nice and it was only him. Why would he want something bigger?

Sam worked as a mechanic in Burt's auto shop. He was friends with the owner's son Kurt and Burt gave him a job when he asked. Kurt was his childhood friend. They had met in elementary school and immediately formed a friendship because they were both different. The quiet dyslexic kid and the outspoken fashionista. It was a strange friendship, but for some odd reason, they worked. He hadn't really kept in touch with Kurt ever since Kurt moved to New York. It was a shame really, but sometimes that happens with friendships.

He was never good at school, but he did love drawing. He had dreams of being a comic book artist, but life got in the way and it wouldn't have happened anyway.

His mother was diagnosed with cancer right before Sam was supposed to go off to college. He decided instead to stay to help his mother and the costs that would be rolling in from hospital bills. 

Sam put his plans on hold, but he didn't really mind. He would do anything for his family. Once this happened, he managed to lose a part of his innocence and he really had to grow up to be strong and help take care of his family. He still delighted in comic books every now and then and he still liked to believe that he was a kid at heart. It was just that reality kicked him and kicked him hard. You can ever fully go back to being a kid, once adulthood rears it's ugly head. 

Even though they tried everything chemo and radio, his mother died a year after getting diagnosed and it was the worse time of his life. He shut down for awhile and just went through the motions until his siblings Stacie and Stevie woke him up. They needed their brother not a zombie. This place brought back way to many memories of their mother, Stevie and Stacie just couldn't handle. His father also saw her wherever he went. So once his dad got a job offer in another state, he jumped at the chance to take it. They had gone to Kentucky while Sam was still in Tennessee. He missed them dearly, but he always tried to send some of his paycheck money to help them out and he often visited when he could.

He never really recovered fully from his loss and never decided to play out his dream. That's when he met Mercedes. She made him want to do better and be better, but now that she was gone, he repressed back into his old self. 

He was on his way out of the door when he received a call on his cellphone. It was an unknown number and he considered if he should answer it or not. He just went for it and answered it. “Hello.”

Nobody replied on the other line, but he could hear breathing. “Hello? I can hear you breathing. Hello?” After a couple more seconds of no answer, he hung up. 

It was the end of the day and he had been receiving those same kind of calls all day. He had just made it home and received a phone call. He answered this time fed up.

“What do you want?” He yelled into the phone. 

“Whoa Sam. Calm down, it's your dad.” 

“Oh dad, sorry. I've been receiving these call and hang up phone calls all day. How are you, dad?” 

“I'm good son, just calling to catch up and to make sure if you still plan on visiting soon.” 

“I'm okay dad. And yes I plan on being there in maybe two weeks or a month if that's okay.” Sam spoke a little dejectedly and he hoped that his father didn't pick up his mood.

“Are you sure? You don't sound okay Sam. Okay, I can't wait to see you then and I'm sure your brother and sister will be happy.”

Sam noticed the worry in his father's voice and he internally battle if he should tell his father about Mercedes or not. “Uhm...I met a girl dad. She's so beautiful. She has a great smile and laugh. She's so caring too, but...she left me and I can't understand why.”

“Really? A girl. She's sounds wonderful Sam except for the leaving you part. So wait did she just break up with you and leave? Or what?” 

Sam notice the confusion in his father's voice and decided to tell him the whole story minus the dirty details of course. Once he finished, he sighed into the phone. “I miss her so much dad.” 

“I'm sorry son. Maybe you will see her again especially if she's the one.” 

“It's okay dad. And thanks for letting me talk to you about this.” Sam said feeling a little lighter because part of the weight on his shoulders was gone. 

“It's no problem. I miss you son.” 

“I miss you guys too. How are Stevie and Stacie?” Sam asked a little excited to hear about his siblings. He loved his family so much. 

“They are doing great. Stacie just won a spelling bee and got all A's on her report card. I'm so proud of her. Stevie well, I think he takes more after you. He's struggling with his dyslexia just like you did. But he's a tough cookie and he really works hard to keep up.” 

“Oh wow. Tell Stacie congratulations from me. I'm so proud of her. And I feel bad for Stevie, but I think that he's smart and he can do it. Where are they by the way?” Sam asked because normally they would be talk his ear off on the phone.

“I will do that son. Oh they're both at sleepovers.”

“Thanks, dad. I'm sure their having a blast. Hug them both for me, will ya?” Sam really wished that he could be their in person for those hugs, but he guessed he would just have to send his dad to do it. 

“I will do Sam. Well I should probably let you go. It was nice talking to you son.”

“It was nice talking to you too dad. I love you.”

“Love you too son. I'll see you soon.”

“Yep you will. Bye.” Sam said before he hung up his phone. He turned on his tv to unwind when his phone went off again. He looked at the screen before answering, exhausted. He just wanted these calls to stop.

“Hello? Look, I'm tired. If you got something to say...just say it.”

A couple of moments went by as Sam heard breathing on the other line. He was going to hang up, but then he heard her.

“Umm...Sam. Hi. I...Sam, I have to tell you something that's a quite a bit of a shock. I...I'm pregnant. And it's yours. And I'm going to keep it. I just wanted to let you know. Bye.” Mercedes rushed out before hanging up. Sam had given Mercedes his cellphone number and made sure she memorized it once they had become intimate, just in case she needed him. He was surprised that she still knew the number.

Sam took a couple of moments to process and after sometime, he realized that he was still clutching his phone in his hand. He set it down in his lap before running his hands through his hair. 

Sam was a little relieved to hear Mercedes voice again. It meant that she was alive and well and that thought made him happy. He knew that he should have been angry with her for leaving and he was, but at this time he was just happy that she was okay.

Mercedes was pregnant and the baby was his. He was going to be a dad which brought joyous tears to his eyes. This was the best news he had ever received. He maniacally rushed up from his couch and went into his room. He stepped into his closet wildly searching for his suitcase. 

He didn't know why Mercedes told him, but this news, he couldn't pass up. Why did she feel the need to tell him? I mean she had left and he had no clue what was her reasoning behind this. Obviously maybe some part of her longed for him as much as he longed for her. But that still doesn't explain why she left and now she took his unborn baby with her.

He was mad at her for leaving. She was the one, he knew it and now she was carrying his unborn child in her womb and he had no idea where she was. He had to find her if it was the last thing he did. He packed a quick bag manically. Once he was finished packing, he realized that he needed to have a game plan. He would need money still if he was going to quit his job at the garage. 

He'd need to be on the road a lot to search for her. So he'd have to get a job like that. A truck driver that would be perfect. He'd need to get a trucker's license and a truck. It would take some time. He knew that he'd have to go to truck driving school and get his CDL license and then a job as a trucker. But the time would be worth it once he could search for Mercedes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	3. New Hope

“Why did I do that? Why the heck did I just do that?” She chided herself as she hung up the phone. She left Sam. All thoughts of him should be buried in the back of her mind never to be revisited again. She shouldn't have been calling him repeatedly and then finally tell him that she was carrying his baby from a pay phone on the road to her new town.

Something must be wrong with her. That was the conclusion she came to. If she had stayed, Sam would have hurt her eventually. She couldn't do that. No, nope. That's one of the reasons she left. Maybe it was the fact that she unknowingly took his unborn baby with her was the reason that she decided to stop at all of the payphones and call Sam. Maybe it was something else. She never could keep him off her mind for long. He was like a drug and he kept coming back. That was why she had to leave. 

She got back into her car and drove off. Turning up the radio, Mercedes quietly sang along with the music as she drove. There was something about the road that she just loved. It called to her. When not a lot of other cars were around, there was a calming peacefulness about it. She could let her mind wander and it all felt so free. 

She lost track of time when she was on the road and only came back to attention when her belly grumbled loudly. She rubbed her stomach gently and smiled while looking down briefly at her tummy. There was a baby in there. She couldn't believe that she was going to be a mother. She never really thought about the possibility of motherhood before. Her lifestyle didn't really fit it and she just never thought about becoming a mom. 

She didn't know if she could change for a child. Abortion wasn't even an option personally for her. Maybe she could give the baby away to a loving home.

Could she keep this child though? Would she be able to raise it better than she was raised and try to keep it from harm? She didn't want anything like what happened to her to happen to this baby. She couldn't, wouldn't let that happen.

She had told Sam that she was going to keep it though so whatever fears she had would have to be squelched. She wanted to do right by this baby and by Sam even though she left.

She came upon a town called Hope and decided that she was going to stay for awhile. The title sounded befitting. She needed a little hope for her and this baby. 

She knew that she needed to get food inside of her soon so she stopped at one of the few diners that the town had to offer. Once she was inside, she got inside a booth and waited to be served. After a few moments, a ditsy blonde came up to wait on her. 

“What can I get you?” The girl whose name tag said Brittany asked as she brought out her order pad and a pen from her apron.

“A club sandwich with extra pickles, water and a job please.” Mercedes asked as she rubbed her growling stomach.

“The club sandwich and water I can do. I'll see about the job though. Do you want me to send the boss over to talk to you once you're done with your meal?” Brittany asked as she bounced on her toes a little.

“Yes that would be lovely.” Mercedes smiled at Brittany before she walked off to place her order. The brunette sat in silence as she waited on her food. She was absentmindedly caressing her stomach and thinking about Sam, when her waitress startled her with her meal. “Thank you.” She grinned towards the blonde until she sauntered off.

She scarfed down her meal as quickly as she could chew.

Once she was done eating, the blonde came back to clean up her food and then said she would send her boss right over. Mercedes nodded her head up at her before the waitress walked away. 

Caressing her full stomach in her hands, the brunette smiled down at her belly. She was still amazed that she was carrying a little life inside of her. 

The sound of wheels on the clean tiled floor startled her a little bit as she looked across and saw a handsome brunette boy in a wheelchair. He had really beautiful blue eyes hidden behind glasses unlike the green eyes that she was used to. 

“Damn, gurl. You are one smokin' lady. If I didn't have myself two fine ass lovers, I'd jump at a chance with you.”

“I heard that.” A feisty latina yelled across the restaurant.

“Calm down boo. You know I only have eyes for you and Britt.” The man raised his voice back before turning his attention back towards Mercedes. “So I hear you are looking for a job.” 

“You heard correct.” Mercedes nodded her head.

“Do you have any waitress experience?” 

“Yes, I've been a waitress since I was sixteen. It's the only job I've known and I'm really good at it.” She stated honestly. 

“Well we have been looking for another waitress. How about this. I give you a trial run today and if I like you, you can stay.” The man pushed up his glasses on his nose before holding out his hand. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Mercedes shook his hand with a smile on her face. 

“Alright. The name's Artie. I'm going to have my boo Santana hook you up with the uniform.”

“I'm Mercedes. Thank you so much for this opportunity.” She got up from her table and followed behind Artie.

“Santana, this is Mercedes. Can you get her fitted into a uniform?” Artie gestured to Mercedes and back to a leggy latina that was at the cash register just finishing up helping out a customer. 

Santana looked the newbie up and down before admiring her lovely assets. “Now that I got a good look at her, are you into foursomes at all?” 

“Umm... no.” The curvy beauty let her down gently with a shrug of her shoulders. 

“Damn.” The latina sighed, but then gestured for the newbie to follow as she led her into the back. “Let me guess...” Santana picked out a uniform for her. “Did I get the right size?”

Mercedes checked out the tag before nodding her head in astonishment. 

“You can change in here. I'll close the door on my way out.” The leggy brunette left with a nod of her head. 

The soon to be mother quickly changed before going back out to the restaurant. She saw that a customer was asking for coffee and she immediately jumped at the task, getting lost in the job that she was so good at.

After her shift finished later that day, Artie told her she got the job and she was thrilled. She sat in a booth after closing, thinking on what to do next. She needed to get an apartment first and then find a doctor as well so that she could get her first pregnancy checkup and check to make sure that everything is okay with her and the baby. 

Mercedes searched through apartment listings in the town newspaper, circling a few that she liked here and there. 

“You got a place to stay tonight?” Santana asked.

Looking up from her paper slowly, the newly hired waitress nodded her head no. 

“You can stay with Artie, Britts and I. We have two spare bedrooms that you can choose from until you get on your feet.” The latina offered.

“That's very kind of you, but I don't really want to impose.” 

“Nonsense. You're coming and that's final.” Santana sassed as she held out her hand for the other girl to take. 

“Okay.” Mercedes placed her hand in hers before they were off.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week passed by in a flash for Mercedes. She was still bunking with Santana, Brittany and Artie or the threesome as she liked to call them in their stylish apartment that was within walking distance to the diner. They had the whole top floor of the apartment building, having bought the other apartment on the floor and knocked out the walls for more space. After the first night and hearing the raucous lovemaking coming from the room the threesome shared, Mercedes elected to move as far away from them she could on the floor so she could hopefully get a peaceful night's rest. She did find a really nice apartment that she wanted to move into, but once Santana had tasted her food, the latina refused for her to move out. Once she had also braved to tell them that she might be pregnant, that was even more incentive for them to get her to stay. They convinced her that they would help her in whatever way she needed with her pregnancy and the baby's arrival, opting for the other spare bedroom closest to the potential mom to be the nursery, and Mercedes caved in, but only after she bargained with them for her to pay rent in cleaning and cooking because they wouldn't accept a penny of her money. Santana and Brittany even recommended a doctor for her to go to as well, saying that she was the best in town. 

Mercedes got along with her new housemates really well she found out after some time with them. Artie and her shared a mutual love for R & B and soul music. They both loved video games and constantly tried to beat the other with every combination in the book. They both had a mutually hidden love of Sci Fi movies which Santana made fun of. 

Santana and Mercedes ended up bonding over the town gossip and their love of fashion. That latina was amazed that the diva could hold her own when it came to a verbal match which surprised her greatly.

The diva found that Brittany was really easy to get along with. She had a brilliant light about her and her happiness and easygoing nature really brightened up a room. They bonded over their love of top 40 music and dancing. Mercedes was glad that she liked her new housemates so much and she was glad that she wouldn't have to be alone with this. 

Her first doctor's appointment was today and she was off from work which made her only more nervous as she fluttered around their apartment cleaning everything in sight. Brittany had opted to go with her, but she had politely decline saying this was something she needed to do herself. She checked the time on her phone and her breath hitched when she saw the numbers. She must have lost track of time cleaning and if she didn't haul ass she was going to be late to her appointment.

Mercedes grabbed her purse and ran out the door. She had made it just in time because she had sped up a little. Her breaths were shortened as she stated her name at the check in area. 

She had some paperwork to fill out and was directed to take a seat once she was finished. She clenched her hands in her lap so she wouldn't fiddle with them as her nerves grew more and more as she waited, staring at the bland walls. Patience wasn't her strong suit one bit, but somehow she had passed the time until a nurse called her name. 

The brunette was directed into a room and asked to strip down to her birthday suit and put on the hospital gown that was laid on the exam table. Once the nurse had closed the door and left her alone, Mercedes slowly slipped off all of her items of clothing. A chill crawled up her spine when she was naked and she hurriedly put on the gown before sitting on the edge of the table, trying to cover herself and keep herself warm as best as she could. 

It was a couple of minutes before there was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in. She was of medium stature with bright red hair and a banging body as Santana would say. She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties and she had a very warm smile that Mercedes liked.

“Hello! I'm Dr. Palmer.” The woman held out her hand towards Mercedes.

“Nice to meet you Dr. Palmer.” Mercedes shook her hand. “I'm Mercedes.”

“So from what I hear, you believe you are pregnant?” The doctor looked over the chart as she took a seat on the stool near the exam table.

“Yes. I took a couple of pregnancy tests and they all came out positive.” She nodded her head.

“Okay so we will have to do a quick blood test to confirm and then if you want we can do a sonogram so you can see your baby.” 

The brunette eagerly nodded her head. “Yes that sounds great.” 

“Okay then. I will send the nurse back in to take your blood and then we will have to wait about five minutes for the results and then I will be back in. Does that sound good?” Dr. Palmer asked.

“Yes, it does. Thank you.” Mercedes grinned at the doctor before she was left in the exam room alone again. Her eyes studied all of the posters in the room to pass the time. There was a poster about the spine and the proper stature for it to be aligned in. There was a poster of a pregnant belly that showed a kid inside and stated all the symptoms of pregnancy. 

The nurse came back in shortly, interrupting her inventory of the room, and the brunette had to look away when the blood was taken from her because the sight of blood made her slightly queasy. 

The nurse was done in a short amount of time. “I'll take this down to the lab and they will run it as soon as they can.” The nurse said before leaving.

Mercedes wished that someone was there with her and she was started to regret her decision about not accepting Brittany's offer. She wanted someone to hold her hand and calm her uneasiness. With those thoughts, Sam automatically popped up into her head. She bit her lip as she thought about the blonde as the time ticked away. 

Before she knew it the doctor was back in the room with her results as she tried to shake away all thoughts of Sam. 

Dr. Palmer read over the results before a smile graced her face. “Congratulations are in order. You are pregnant.” 

A small smile fell on Mercedes face before it grew in depth until she was beaming. Her hand went to her stomach and she caressed it lovingly.

“So now, I'll do the sonogram and I'll have to do it vaginally due to the earliness of the pregnancy.” The doctor stated as she started to get all the equipment ready. 

The brunette was then instructed to scoot as close as she could to the end of the exam table and then put her feet up in stirrups before laying down. A monitor was pulled closer to the table before the doctor started up the sonogram machine. “Now you will feel some discomfort as the probe goes in, but then it should ease after a couple of moments.” 

Mercedes nodded her head. Once the doctor started, she winced as she felt the slight pain the doctor was talking about. She forgot all about it when she gazed at the monitor that came to live as it showed a little peanut on the screen. 

“That's your baby.” Dr. Palmer said excitedly before turning up the volume on the machine so they could hear the heartbeat. 

“That's my baby.” Mercedes stated back in awe, captivated by the little life on the screen that was growing inside her. Whatever doubts she had before all went away at the sight of her child.

“If you want I can print out a couple of photos for you.” The doctor asked as she checked over everything. 

“Yes, I'd like that very much.” 

“Okay well your baby seems to be healthy and from what I can see you are about four weeks along. I'm going to prescribe you some prenatal vitamins for you to take and a list of what you can and can't eat.” Dr. Palmer finished the exam and then started to clean everything before putting the equipment back in it's place. “You can change back into your clothes and I'll be right back with the photos and the prescription.” 

It didn't take long for the doctor to come back and Mercedes barely even registered anything as she was still in awe about having a baby as she robotically dressed herself. She grabbed the items the doctor handed her before she was on her way, a huge smile on her face. Her hand rubbed her stomach gently. “My baby.”


	4. Something is Missing

**1 Year Later**

Pregnancy suited Mercedes well. She had a beautiful glow about her and her ever increasing baby bump. Her new friends though had to put up with all of her crazy mood swings and different cravings throughout the day and night. During one of her mood swings, she finally revealed who the baby's daddy was and how she left him, but she wouldn't say a last name or any more on the subject. She also told them that she was considering giving her baby away, but she didn't think that she could really. 

Brittany and Santana tried to persuade her to keep the baby and had surprised her with a painted nursery and some baby items occupying it with this cute zoo animals theme that could work for a boy or a girl. She yelled at them for doing that, but she loved the room so much she couldn't really object too much. 

The restaurant was closed one night for a private event so Mercedes thought that she would be able to go out and get some shopping done. Santana, Brittany and Artie though had other plans. They forced her into a blindfold and then drove her around for a bit. As soon as they thought she had no clue where they were going, they pulled up at the diner. Guiding her inside with the blindfold still across her eyes, she jumped at the yell of surprise and the light hitting her eyes from being free of the constraint. It was a surprise baby shower that her roommates threw for her, inviting some of their other coworkers as well as a couple of customers that grew to love Mercedes. 

Presents were piled high on one of the booths. Santana had brought her camera and was shooting various people throughout the shower. After some fun baby shower games that Brittany came up with, it was time for presents. The soon to be mother was granted with pretty much everything that a new mom could need. Santana and Brittany had gone all out and bought the crib as well as the changing station with some clothes thrown in too. Mercedes told them that she was going to pay for all of the stuff they bought because they didn't need to pay for the big stuff. Santana said that it was a gift and if she tried to give them any money for it then she would beat her senseless. After much arguing, the soon to be mother finally agreed to accept their gift. She made sure to make extra delicious meals though and have the apartment spotless. 

Mercedes didn't want to know the sex of her baby because she wanted it to be a surprise. She had a feeling though that it was a boy. 

She signed up for a lamaze class when she was around five months around. Santana went with her for the first class and her yelling in Spanish and English while they did all of the exercises was not helpful. As much as she had grown to love the latina, she asked Brittany to come to lamaze with her instead of her. Brittany was very sweet and helpful during the classes, but as much as she loved the blonde, she wished that Sam was there. If she hadn't screwed things up, he would be there, but this was the way it was. This was what she thought she wanted and she had to stick to it. 

A month before the baby was due, Mercedes took her pregnancy leave and was urged by her doctor to stay in bed as much as she could and not do any strenous activities. 

In the middle of the night three days before her baby's due date, Mercedes woke up in a sweat with a wetness covering her side of the bed. Yelling manically to her roommates that the baby was coming, a frenzy descended upon them as they all rushed to get everything ready to go to the hospital. After ten hours of labor, hundred of curses, two broken hands and five pushes, Sam and Mercedes baby was brought into the world. After the nurses did all the necessary duties, the new mom finally gazed upon her beautiful baby girl. So her suspicion about it being a boy was totally wrong. 

Her baby looked so much like him. Like Sam. The baby had his mouth and eyes. Those piercing green eyes. Looking into those hues, Mercedes knew that she couldn't give her away and she was happy with her decision to keep her because she wouldn't have it any other way. It was a funny thing how with most people, love had to be earned, but looking at her beautiful creation the love just grew. Mercedes had never known unconditional love until that moment. 

Mercedes had such a hard time in the hospital deciding on a name. She considered calling her Samantha after her father, but she just couldn't. The reminder was too much, so she decided Samantha would be her middle name which is always less used, but then her baby would have a little part of her father with her. 

Then came the first name and that was the toughest. In the end, she decided that she wanted a good strong name for her daughter. A name that meant something. Artie had brought over a book of girl's names for her and Mercedes looked through it as she stayed in the hospital, unable to leave until she had a name. 

So that was how Mercedes came up with her daughter's name, Gabriella Samantha Jones or Ella for short. Mercedes had told the hospital that the dad wasn't around, so her baby could take her last name. Once she was clear to leave the hospital and had the car seat in hand, she brought Ella back to her apartment which was now home.

The first two months of her baby's birth were challenging. Mercedes wouldn't go back to work until later and she wanted to adjust to having a baby at home. It was tough at first because of the lack of sleep and trying to stick to an eating and sleeping schedule. Mercedes eventually grew accustomed to the arrangement and having some help from Artie, Santana, and Brittany helped. 

She looked into good daycares near where they lived, but she was picky about everything and couldn't decide on one for her baby so she could eventually go back to work. 

She finally decided on a day care that was run by this nice gay couple Sebastian and Hunter. They both took to Ella right away and it was nice to have her in such good hands. Both of them had degrees in child development and family studies and were so natural with children. Once Mercedes met them, there was no other choice to make. 

She finally went back to work and couldn't be more happy, but there was always something missing. Something that she just couldn't grasp. 

It was a couple of months after Ella's birth. Her baby was sick with an ear infection, so she couldn't bring her into daycare. She reluctantly brought her daughter in her car seat along to work because she didn't want to call in sick. She went up to her boss to quickly explain. Artie was cool with it and he could watch over her when she was with customers. 

Sam walked into the restaurant, hoping that this was the right place from the photo he had seen. He was constantly looking for them, but so far no luck. 

His eyes scanned the establishment and stopped at a small chocolate drop that was near the counter, holding onto a car seat. Is that her? His heart hoped and prayed that it was. 

He didn't even know that he went closer to her until he was a few feet behind her, watching as she talked with a man in a wheelchair. 

“Mercedes.” Her name fell from his lips in a whisper, like he was saying a prayer. 

Tension grew in her posture as he watched her. Stiffly, she slowly turned towards him with her eyes wide in shock. 

“Sam.” She ushered that one word like it was a blessing and a curse all wrapped up into one. 

He cleared his throat before speaking her name once more. His eyes held hers, unwilling to look away in case he was dreaming. Two more steps forward and she was in his arms again. “I've missed you so much.” He held her dearly, crushing her body into his. Tears sprang to his eyes as her familiar scent washed over his nostrils. “It's really you. I can't believe it. When I saw that photo of you, I looked up any place that could look like this and I found it. I found you.” 

“Wait...” Mercedes leaned her head back so that she could look at Sam. “What photo? How did you find me?”

“All in due time Mercedes. I will tell you all in due time. Right now I just want to hold you.” He squeezed her even more closer to him. He held her for moments that seemed like forever and was only broken when a voice cleared. 

Sam seemed to gain his bearings and noticed the guy in the wheelchair staring at them. 

“Sam, this is Artie. Artie meet Sam.” Mercedes gestured in between both of them for her introductions with the one hand that she wasn't carrying a sleeping Ella in. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Sam smiled skeptically at the other man, shaking his hand. He wondered who this guy was. Was he Mercedes boyfriend? No, he couldn't be. She wouldn't do that to him, at least he thought so. 

When the blond was preoccupied with her roommate, the mother thought it was a good decision to run as she held tightly onto Ella's car seat and high tailed it out there. 

The trucker noticed movement in his eyesight and waiting as she retreated from him again, carrying a car seat. 

_His daughter!_ He remembered, the shock of actually finding Mercedes making him forget. 

“Mercedes, wait.” Sam yelled as he ran after her and what appeared to be their daughter. A daughter that looked a little like him from the one glance that he saw. “Mercedes is that my daughter?”


	5. Funny Seeing You Again

Sam scoured the internet again. He checked all social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Did you know how many Jones, M's there were listed? Thousands. Sam was starting to give up hope, but he kept at it. No matter what, he would find them if it was the last thing that he ever did. 

It had been a little less than a year since he had seen Mercedes and he knew that his son or daughter was already born now and less than four months old. He was so angry and sad that he had missed the birth because he didn't want to miss a single day of his children's life. Most of that anger was towards Mercedes. The other part of it was towards whatever had caused her to run from a good thing in her life. 

He wondered what his child looked like. Did it have his lips or eyes? What features did the baby have of him and what features did the baby have of Mercedes? Was the baby a boy or a girl? What did Mercedes name the baby? He got angry all over again when he realized that Mercedes didn't give him a chance to pick out names for their child. She didn't give him a chance to go in the middle of the night and get her food that she was craving with her pregnancy. He wasn't allowed to feel the baby kick in the womb, or to cut the cord in the delivery room. Thinking of all of those things just made him angry all over again. It was like he was in a constant state of anger and hope, trying to find the love of his live and his child. 

His truck driving took him all over and he always looked for Mercedes everywhere that he went. He sometimes imagined that he saw her face in the crowd, but it always disappointed him when it turned out to not be her. 

He kept at it though and he wouldn't give up. He could never give up. They were somewhere out there and he just had to find him. 

It was after hours upon hours of Facebook searches that finally gave him hope. A picture. A picture that had a person tagged in it named Mercedes Jones. A picture that was taken in front of a diner with four people in it. There was a very pregnant Mercedes in the middle of a slim blonde woman and a slim Latina. Then there was a guy in a wheelchair on the other side of the Latina. They were all smiling and looking happy. The picture was taken outside and in front of what seemed like a diner. There was a name too. A name that hopefully wouldn't be hard to find, Artie's. 

The Latina was the one who posted the picture. He tried to see where she lived, but her wall was private. She didn't post many other photos. It was just mainly pictures of her, the blonde woman and the wheelchair guy. He knew that she wouldn't befriend him either because he was a complete stranger to her so he knew that he would have to go off of the name in the background of the picture. 

He did a web search of Artie's filling in restaurant and then diner. The search for an Artie's restaurant didn't feel any good results, but he did save all the addresses to the ones in the United States in case he needed to check each and every one. He ruled out the ones with websites that showed what the place looked like if it didn't match or was close to the photo he had. Artie's Diner came up with some more results as well. He found that there were four throughout the United States. The first two didn't have websites attached with them, but the third did. He clicked on the link and saw a picture of a guy, the same one in the picture with Mercedes. He had his destination now, Hope Indiana.

Calling his boss, he quit over the phone saying that this next drop was going to be his last. He didn't even want to do the drop, but he knew that he had to because all of the stuff was in the back of his cab. 

He did the load albeit reluctantly and then he made his way to her, to his Mercy. 

He was still rather wary, hoping that she was still at the place in the photo. He wouldn't know what to do if it lead to a dead end and she had been long gone. Throughout the whole drive, Sam was wired in anticipation and worry. He made it there in record time and parked his vehicle outside. 

Sam walked into the restaurant, hoping that this was the right place from the photo he had seen, but then knowing he was once he took in the layout. He was constantly looking for them, but so far no luck. 

His eyes scanned the establishment and stopped at a small chocolate drop that was near the counter, holding onto a car seat. Is that her? His heart hoped and prayed that it was. 

He didn't even know that he went closer to her until he was a few feet behind her, watching as she talked with a man in a wheelchair. 

“Mercedes.” Her name fell from his lips in a whisper, like he was saying a prayer. 

Tension grew in her posture as he watched her. Stiffly, she slowly turned towards him with her eyes wide in shock. 

“Sam.” She ushered that one word like it was a blessing and a curse all wrapped up into one. 

He cleared his throat before speaking her name once more. His eyes held hers, unwilling to look away in case he was dreaming. Two more steps forward and she was in his arms again. “I've missed you so much.” He held her dearly, crushing her body into his. Tears sprang to his eyes as her familiar scent washed over his nostrils. “It's really you. I can't believe it. When I saw that photo of you, I looked up any place that could look like this and I found it. I found you.” 

“Wait...” Mercedes leaned her head back so that she could look at Sam. “What photo? How did you find me?”

“All in due time Mercedes. I will tell you all in due time. Right now I just want to hold you.” He squeezed her even more closer to him. He held her for moments that seemed like forever and was only broken when a voice cleared. 

Sam seemed to gain his bearings and noticed the guy in the wheelchair staring at them. 

“Sam, this is Artie. Artie meet Sam.” Mercedes gestured in between both of them for her introductions with the one hand that she wasn't carrying a sleeping Ella in. 

“Hi, nice to meet you.” Sam smiled skeptically at the other man, shaking his hand. He wondered who this guy was. Was he Mercedes boyfriend? No, he couldn't be. She wouldn't do that to him, at least he thought so. 

When the blond was preoccupied with her roommate, the mother thought it was a good decision to run as she held tightly onto Ella's car seat and high tailed it out there. 

The trucker noticed movement in his eyesight and watched as she retreated from him again, carrying a car seat. 

_His daughter!_ He remembered, the shock of actually finding Mercedes making him forget. 

“Mercedes, wait.” Sam yelled as he ran after her and what appeared to be their daughter. A daughter that looked a little like him from the one glance that he saw. “Mercedes is that my daughter?”

Mercedes didn't know why she ran. She was just so shocked to see Sam again. He was still as gorgeous as ever and she knew that she had done him wrong. She stopped when he called out after her, turning around to face him. 

“...Yes.” She said cautiously. “Meet Gabriella Samantha Jones, or Ella as I like to call her.” Mercedes said as she brought the car seat up so that Sam could get a better look at his daughter.

“Oh god, she's beautiful.” Sam said as a couple of tears escaped his eyes. She had his mouth. Her eyes were closed though so he couldn't see them. She was so beautiful with her caramel skin tone and Mercedes nose. He wanted to hold her in his arms and just gaze at her until he memorized her every feature. “Can I hold her?” He asked hopefully.

Mercedes nodded her head. “Yeah, we should go back inside. I have to work, but you can watch her during my shift.” She led the way back inside with Sam following behind her. “She has an ear infection so she will need some more medicine in a couple of hours. That's why I couldn't drop her off at daycare.”

Sam frowned when he heard that his baby girl was sick. “My poor Ella.” He stated, just trying out her name on his lips. He loved it, but he still wasn't happy that he couldn't help pick the name out. He noticed that Mercedes did name her after him though. Gabriella Samantha, he really like that. The last name Jones was okay for now, but if he had his way both Mercedes and his baby would share his last name. 

“You have a lot of explaining to do Mercedes.” Sam said as he followed her.

“I know. I promise that I will explain, just after my shift. Is that okay?” Mercedes looked back at him tentatively. 

“Yeah, that's fine.” He nodded his head. 

She picked a booth for them in her section, placing the car seat down so she could undo the straps to get her daughter out. She lifted her cautiously from the car seat, not wanting to wake her. Turning to Sam, she gently place their daughter in his hands. 

Sam stood in awe at the little being in his arms. He started to rock her a little in his arms, pacing the floor back and forth. 

Tears came to Mercedes eyes at the moment between father and daughter. She brushed them away quickly and then cleared her throat. “Can I get you anything Sam?” She asked. “Are you hungry at all?”

“No I'm good.” He stated, his eyes never leaving his daughter. 

“Okay, just let me know if you change your mind.” She smiled at him before leaving him and their child to start work. 

Going back to the waitress station, she was met with three pairs of curious eyes. 

“So that's Sam?” Santana asked with her eyebrow raised. 

She nodded her head. “Yes, that's Sam.” 

“I like him.” Brittany said smiling. “You have to invite him for dinner tonight Cedes.” 

“Yes, you really should.” Santana agreed. 

“Totally.” Artie stated as well. 

“Okay, I will.” Mercedes agreed a little reluctantly.

Her shift was a couple of hours in and everything was fine. She periodically glanced to where Sam and Ella were, smiling at the interaction. It wasn't until Ella woke up that some problems started to arise.

His daughter grew increasingly restless in his arms, squirming in her blanket. She opened her eyes and he gazed into her brilliant emerald hues, loving that she had his eyes too. When she opened her eyes, that's when the wails started. He tried to calm her down and rock her, but nothing was working. 

“Britt can you cover for me for a bit?” Mercedes asked the blonde who nodded her head and then she came over to Sam and her daughter. “Here let me.” She said, trying to take her daughter back into her arms. She knew that Ella probably needed the medicine again. 

Sam shook his head. “No, I got it.” He tried to calm her, using all of the techniques he knew, but Ella still wailed. 

“She doesn't know you Sam.” Mercedes said as Sam continued to bounce a crying Ella in his arms.

“Yea, well that's not my fault. Is it?” Sam snapped back.

Mercedes cowered her head in shame. She felt so guilty about leaving him, so he wasn't there for the first few months of his child's birth. She didn't know if she could apologize enough for her nature. “I'm sorry Sam.” 

They were starting to gain the attention of the whole diner and Mercedes knew that she needed to stop Ella's crying. “I'll give Ella back to you after I give her the medicine and feed her, okay?” She asked Sam.

He nodded his head and handed the baby over. 

Ella's crying went from loud wails to small hiccups when she was in her mom's arms. Mercedes cooed at her baby. “Sam can you grab the diaper bag over there?”

He nodded his head and grabbed it for her. 

With one hand, Mercedes got out the medicine. She put the ear drops in her baby's ear and smiled when Ella started to feel a little better. Grabbing a bottle from the bag, she went over to Santana and asked her to warm the bottle for her. Santana willing did so, handing the bottle back to her once she was done. Mercedes checked the temperature of the bottle on her wrist and felt that it was fine. She was glad that she had pumped some breast milk before she came. She started to feed her little girl, smiling when her baby drank up. Once she was finished with the bottle, Mercedes went back to Sam. “Do you know how to burp a baby?” 

Sam nodded his head. “I had to help sometimes with my siblings and my parents showed me how.” 

“Okay good.” She pulled the burp cloth out of the diaper bag and then handed Ella back over to Sam, smiling when Ella didn't fuss. “My shift is almost over and then I was asked by my roommates to ask you to dinner at our place. Do you have somewhere to stay?” 

“Dinner is good.” Sam nodded as he gently burped his daughter. “No, I don't have a place to stay yet.”

“Well we have plenty of room at Artie's so you can stay with us. I'll clear it with my roommates first, but I'm sure that it will be fine.” 

“Okay Mercy.” Sam smiled up at her. “After dinner though we talk, right?” 

Mercedes pursed her lips. “Yeah, after dinner we can talk.”


	6. The Start of Something New

Mercedes shift ended with no other problems. Her roommates all left so they could get dinner started. She handed over the reins to the night cook and night waitresses and made her way over to Sam. 

“We can go now to my place.” She smiled over at him and Ella who was now sleeping again. 

“Okay.” Sam nodded. He got up from his chair to place Ella back into her car seat.  
Once that was finished, he picked up the car seat and she picked up the diaper bag. 

Walking out of the diner, she glanced back at Sam with a smile on her face. “What did you drive here with?” He pointed to the big semi that was in the parking lot. “Oh... We won't have room for that anywhere near the apartment. I'm sure it will be okay with Artie if you keep it here for the night. You'll have to move it behind the diner though. There are more parking spaces back there. I think you remember my car, right?” She pointed to it. “I'll wait here and give you a ride.” 

“Are you sure that you won't try running on me again?” He asked with an eyebrow raised high and worry in his tone. 

She frowned at his question, eyes turned down to look at her shoes. “I give you my word that I won't try to run, but I don't think you will fully believe that.” Her hand searched for something in the side pocket of the diaper bag. She heard a jingling noise and grabbed the keys out of there. “So I'll give you my keys to my car instead.” She handed them over to him.

He took the keys from her slowly and then handed Ella over to her. “I'll be right back then.” It didn't take him long to park the truck in the back and grab his things. He was living out of a duffel bag so it wasn't hard to pack everything up. Returning to her, he was relieved that she stayed true to her word and was waiting for him right by her car. Handing back over the keys, he watched as Mercedes put the car seat into the holder and made sure it was secure. Once that was done, he went over to the other side of the car and threw his bag in the back before he got into the passenger seat. 

The ride to her apartment was silent. The only sound were the soft coos from Ella in the backseat and the radio. The volume was turned down though to not disturb the sleeping baby. The distance from the diner to the apartment was short and Mercedes was parking the car before Sam knew it. He hopped out of the car and grabbed his bag, watching as she pressed a button to release the car seat. “Here let me.” He asked with his hand held out so he could carry his daughter. 

She handed the baby over and then grabbed the diaper bag before leading the way inside and up the stairs. Once she opened the door with her keys, all of her roommates came running to meet Sam. “Sam, this is Brittany, Santana and Artie. They were gracious enough to give me a job and let me stay here with them.” 

Sam held his hand out to each of them with a smile on his face. “That is very kind of all of you. Mercedes is a lucky girl.” 

“It was nothing.” Artie said. 

“And since you are staying here Sam. You might want to stay on the other side of the apartment because they can get quite loud at night.” Mercedes spoke.

“So wait.” The blonde’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion. “You three are all in a relationship with each other.” He pointed to Santana, Artie and Brittany.

They all nodded their heads yes.

“Oh thank goodness. I was worried that one of you was with Mercedes and I'm glad that is not the case.” He sounded relieved.

“As fine as boo thang is over there, I would never step out on my ladies.” Artie joked.

“Damn straight.” Santana sneered. “Although we have tried to get Mercedes to join us, but she turned us down each time.” 

“You did?” Sam made a face in amusement.

“What can I say?” The Latina shrugged. “She has some nice lady lumps and I wants on them.”

“Me too.” Brittany agreed.

“Me three.” Artie said as well, waving a praise hand up in the air.

Mercedes shook her head and was about to walk off. “Alright I think that is enough of that.” She chuckled, shaking her head. She smelled the food coming from the kitchen and her mouth watered. “That smells amazing guys.” She started to move into the living room, placing the diaper bag down on the couch. “We can take her out of the car seat.” 

Sam seemed to be taking in the apartment and everything that he didn't hear Mercedes right away. She had to wave her hands in his face to get his attention. “Oh, sorry. This is a pretty cool place.” He set the car seat down and undid the straps effortlessly. Grabbing Ella out of the car seat, he made sure to support her head and then he cradled her in his arms. “Should I put her in her room?” 

“Sure.” Mercedes nodded her head. “I'll show you to her room.” Showing him to the side of the apartment where her room and Ella's room was, she saw that she left her room open. It was a mess in there so she quickly shut it. “My room is a little messy.” She chuckled. Going one door over, she walked inside. “This is Ella's room. There is a guest room right next door to this one where you can stay if you like that way you can be close to her.”

The blond nodded his head enthusiastically. “Yes, I'd like that.” He placed his daughter in her crib while Mercedes grabbed the baby monitor and made sure that it was turned on. 

Once that was settled, they went and joined the others in the dining room. He was directed to a seat and sat down, silence taking over the room because none of them knew what to talk about. “Thanks for letting me stay here along with Mercedes.” He smiled at them. “And if it wasn’t for you, I would have never found her and my daughter so thank you.” 

“It’s no problem. Mercedes is practically family so that makes you family too.” Brittany smiled at him as she spoke.

“Wait what do you mean we helped you find Mercedes, fish lips?” The Latina asked.

The mother’s ears perked up. She definitely wanted to hear how Sam found her, ignoring the other comment that Santana made.

“You posted a picture of all four of you in front of the diner on Facebook. I found it and was able to find the place which meant I found Mercedes and Ella so thank you.” He smiled at them gratefully.

“Oh… that. That wasn’t what I intended when I posted that picture, but I’m glad.” Santana shrugged which earned a stink eye from Mercedes. Noticing that, she rolled her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that Mercedes. Sam deserves to be around his daughter and you kept him away from her for your own messed up reasons. I don’t want to push you away and cause you to run again, but it’s true. If Sam wants to be the father to Ella, then he has every right. You had no right keeping him away in the first place.” 

Mercedes hung her head in shame because she knew what her roommate was saying was true. She felt a hand in hers and looked up to find Brittany comforting her. 

“What she said was very harsh, but I do think you needed to hear it Mercedes. We all love you and want you to face your demons. It will only make you stronger. You can’t keep running from everything forever. Lord Tubbington says that isn’t going to make you happy. Sam will make you happy though if you let him.” Brittany squeezed her hand.

Mercedes didn’t want to believe in Brittany’s cat, but she did have a lot of thinking to do. She knew that she wasn’t going to run though. Not with Ella. Ella deserved a stable home and Mercedes wanted to give that to her. 

Artie noticing the silence and contemplativeness from everyone, decided to change the subject. “Everything is ready to dig in. We have pork chops, mashed potatoes and peas.” He started to put food on his plate and then passed the dish to Sam. “So tell us more about you Sam.” He asked. He knew that Ella needed a father and Mercedes needed help, but he wanted to make sure that the blond was a good candidate. He knew that Brittany and Santana felt the same way. Although they were both pro Sam, they barely knew anything about him so they had to find out more.

“Well I was born and raised in Nashville Tennessee. I have two siblings, Stevie and Stacie, who are pretty amazing. They live in Kentucky with my dad. My mom passed away when I was nineteen. She was diagnosed with leukemia when I was eighteen. I had plans to go to college, but I put them on hold when my mom got diagnosed. I started working as a mechanic to help pay the bills and I stayed close to my mother. She died a year after her diagnosis. After that, I went through the motions until my brother and sister woke me up. I had to go on. I met Mercedes over a year and a half ago. I was smitten from the start, but it took some time for her to let me in. When I was with her, I wanted to be my best self. I wanted to do better and maybe actually go after one of my dreams. Then I told her I loved her and she left me. When she called and told me she was pregnant, I knew I had to find her. So I got my truck driver’s license and went on the road to find her. Then I found your Facebook posting and here I am.” He smiled at them all with a mouth full of mashed potatoes. He didn’t mean to launch into his life story, but he wanted her roommates to like him and it kind of all just came out.

“I’m sorry about your mom Sam.” Artie said.

Mercedes gave Sam a kind smile, having known all of his story except the part after she left him. 

“Thanks.” Sam nodded at Artie and then smiled back at Mercedes.

The topic then moved to Santana, Artie and Brittany after that. 

Once dinner was finished and the dishes done, Brittany wanted to give Mercedes and Sam some alone time so she grabbed her lovers and moved them to their bedroom. 

“We should probably move if they are going to start things up.” Mercedes chuckled.

“Right okay.” Sam nodded. 

They moved back into the living room and Sam grabbed his bag from where he dropped it. 

“I’ll show you the room next to Ella’s. She should be up soon for her next feeding.” Mercedes motioned back towards the hallway they were in before. Passing her room and the nursery, she pointed to the guest bedroom. “Here you go.” She smiled at him. “I’m going to grab you some fresh sheets, a blanket and a pillow.”

“Okay.” Sam nodded. He set his duffel down on the dresser that was in the room and looked around a little. There was a small twin bed in the corner, a desk with nothing on it and a small dresser. 

Mercedes was back quickly and she started to make up the bed for Sam so he wouldn’t have to. 

“You don’t have to do that.” Sam said, going to help her.

“It’s okay. I wanted to.” She looked up at him with a smile.

They finished making the bed and started to hear fussing from the next room. 

“Right on time.” Mercedes chuckled, going to Ella’s room with Sam on her heels. The mother picked up her daughter and checked her diaper, wrinkling her nose when it came back stinky. “First a diaper change is in order. You can help me so you will know what to do later on.” 

“Okay.” Sam nodded his head. 

Bringing Ella over to the changing station, Mercedes placed her down slowly. “Hi my baby girl.” She smiled down at her, trying to ease her little whimpers. She then walked Sam through taking off the diaper, cleaning Ella up correctly and then placing a new diaper on her. While Sam held Ella, Mercedes grabbed some pajamas for her daughter and they both got her into them. 

She didn’t pump any more milk for Ella so she had to breastfeed which would make this a little awkward with Sam in the room. “Umm…” She looked up at him, grabbing the baby from him. “I have to breastfeed her so if you want to go that’s cool. If not, I do have this blanket to cover me up.” 

“Oh…” Sam rubbed the nape of his neck. “I’ll just turn around. Let me know when it’s safe.” He chuckled a little.

“Okay.” Mercedes nodded. Like he said, she let him know when it was safe to turn around. There was a gentle suckling sound that filled the room as Ella ate.

“So…” Sam said rubbing this neck.

“So…” Mercedes repeated looking up at Sam. 

“Brittany and Artie seem nice. Maybe Santana too, but she’s very abrupt.” The blond said not knowing what else to say.

“That’s just in her nature. She’s not that bad once you get to know her.” Mercedes shrugged.

“Well I will be sticking around so I don’t have a choice otherwise.” Sam joked.

The mother didn’t know how to reply to that so she chose not to say anything at all. A couple of minutes passed in silence. The suckling sound stopped and it appeared that Ella was done, but she needed to be burped. “Can you turn around again Sam?”

“Sure.” He nodded his head, doing as she asked. 

Mercedes fixed her clothing and then stood up with Ella. “Can you grab that burp cloth that is laying on the dresser. I’ll have you burp her.” 

He grabbed the cloth and then grabbed his daughter from Mercedes, doing as she instructed on how to burp her once again.

It didn’t take long and then Sam gently rocked her to sleep. He didn’t want her to leave his arms, but he knew he should probably set her down in her crib. Laying her down gently, he turned to Mercedes once he was done. His eyes held all the questions he wanted to ask her, but then a yawn escaped his mouth.

“Look…” The mother said breaking the silence after they exited her daughter’s room and closed the door. She tripped over the hallway rug and almost fell flat on her face, but Sam’s hands shot out and grabbed her. He helped her regain her balance and then slowly released his hands.

She looked up at him upset with herself. “Why are you here? Why did you find me? I was perfectly fine before you came along. I don't need you here. I don't need saving.”

“Who says that I want to save you Mercedes? I just want to love you and I just want to know my daughter and be her dad. I also want some explanations from you because I think I deserve that.” 

“Oh…” She wrung her hands nervously. “I know that you need answers. It has been a long emotionally exhausting day though. I think you need some rest. I promise that I will answer all of your questions in time.”

He sighed. “Yeah, some sleep probably would be good. You promise?” His eyebrow raised as he looked at her. 

She nodded her head. “I promise.”

“Okay.” He smiled at her and then another yawn overtook his body. “That’s my cue to go.” He chuckled, the tension from earlier slowly dissipating. “Goodnight Mercedes.”

She chuckled with him, thinking he was so adorable. “Goodnight Sam.”

They parted ways in the hallway, both going to their separate rooms with thoughts of each other on their minds.

Even though he was tired, Sam found that he couldn’t fall asleep. His thoughts kept fluctuating between his daughter and Mercedes. He wanted to be closer to both of them and since it was too soon to get close to the mother of his child and he was still hurt by her actions, he chose to get closer to his daughter. He grabbed a pillow and a blanket and went to his daughter’s room. Looking upon her sleeping figure, he grew more in love with her. He decided to curl up into a ball right near her crib, immediately going to sleep.

Mercedes thoughts ran rampant in her head as she laid down in her bed trying to sleep. She didn’t know how to feel. Her emotions were so conflicted. A part of her wanted to grab her daughter and run. A part of her wanted to jump into Sam’s arms and spend the rest of her life in them. Santana’s words from the dinner rang in her head and she knew the Latina was right. She couldn’t keep living like this. She couldn’t keep running. It was time to put down roots for Ella. It was time to let Sam be the dad he wants to be. It was time to let Sam in if he’d still have her. 

She sighed before getting out of bed, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Not hearing anything on the baby monitor, the mother decided to check on her daughter anyway. Ella always had a way of making her feel better without trying. Her steps were quiet as she left her room and then walked into her daughter’s. Moving towards her crib, she couldn’t see anything in the dark so she didn’t see Sam’s body lying on the ground before she stepped on his stomach. 

“Ow.” A voice yelled out in pain in the darkness. Mercedes stilled almost falling, but catching herself. She made sure that the noise didn't wake Ella, but her daughter could sleep through anything really. She turned on a lamp that would give them a little light and turned to see Sam on the floor, rubbing his stomach where she stepped on him. “What are you doing in here?” She whispered

“I wanted to be close to her.” He shrugged.

His words caused her to sigh. “You know she will still be there in the morning, right?”

A frown fell upon the blonde’s face. “No, not really.” 

“I deserved that.” She hung her down ashamed. “What Santana said was true. I had no right to take Ella away from you. She deserves a father. She deserves you and I’m sorry Sam. I know it might not mean much, but I really am truly sorry.” 

“It helps a little to hear you say that. I’m still upset though and I don’t know if I can forgive you quite yet.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just want to know why. Why did you leave me? Why did you call and tell me you were pregnant?”

Mercedes crossed the room and sat down next to Sam. “It’s really a long story Sam and I’m not ready to tell you yet. I think with maybe some help that I will be able to tell you the full story. Right now…” She paused, biting her lip before continuing. “All I can say is that I was scared of what you could do to me. I called to tell you that I was pregnant because you deserved to know even if I couldn’t make myself come back to you.” 

“What I could do to you?” Sam asked confused. “I only wanted to love you, but as soon as you heard the L word you ran. I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to believe that.” He looked into her eyes, hoping she saw the truth to his words in them. 

“I do believe you Sam. And I feel with time and patience, I could love you back the right way.” She smiled at him. “About what I said earlier, that was just some of my demons talking. I really am glad you found us Sam. I really missed you.” She leaned in closer to him and then closed her eyes, puckering her lips for a kiss. 

Sam’s finger shot out and stopped Mercedes movement. “Umm… I’m sorry Mercedes. I’m just not ready for that yet. I need some time to forgive you and learn to trust you again.”

“Oh…” Mercedes looked down dejectedly. “I understand.” 

“Hey.” The blond cupped her chin and made her look at him. “I’m not saying no. I’m just saying not yet. I still love you Mercedes. I just need time.” 

“Okay.” She gave him a small smile. “I can give you time.”


	7. The Truth and the Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: mentions of sexual molestation

When Monday came around, Sam got a call from his boss with another load. He however quit his job right then, but he did have to get his truck back to the company. He didn’t want to leave his daughter and Mercedes especially with his trust issues. It was Brittany that had come up with a solution after Sam and Mercedes had gotten into a fight about it. Brittany had suggested that Sam and Mercedes both go and that Artie, Santana and her would watch Ella while they were away. Sam was still a little reluctant, but Mercedes trusted these people that she was living with so he did too. 

The first couple of hours of the trip were very tense. Both of them didn’t talk much because they were still reeling from their fight. Once Sam broke out one of his impressions though, the tension in the car broke and they started talking about anything and everything, but mainly Ella. The trip managed to be a success and once they made it back, Sam was on the manhunt for a new job. He ended up getting a job at Puckerman Bros. They were two brother mechanics that ran a business together. Both of them were pretty chill and Sam fell in with them pretty quickly.

Mercedes held true to her promise to Sam. She gave him time. She also started to work on herself, seeing a therapist once a week. She hadn’t told him the reasons behind her trust issues, but she was opening up more and more with him. They really fell into a routine especially with Ella. It took some time but the daughter got used to Sam and she would light up when either he or Mercedes was in the room. 

It was three weeks into Sam staying with Mercedes that their dynamic started to change once more. 

Mercedes had woken up screaming from a nightmare. Her sessions with her therapist had brought up some tough things from her past and that had caused her to start having her nightmares again. She hadn’t had those for years. 

Sam had come running into Mercedes room with a bat, ready to beat someone if they were hurting his girl. When he saw that it was just Mercedes in the room, he dropped the bat and went to her side. He laid down next to her and brought her into his arms, gently rubbing her back in a calming motion. “It’s okay Mercedes. It was just a bad dream.” 

“It felt like I was back there all over again.” She cried. 

“You’re not there Mercedes. You’re here with me. With Sam.” He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest where his heart was. “I’m not going to hurt you Mercedes. You’re okay. You are safe.” He kept telling her soothing things which eventually calmed her down and she fell asleep in his arms. He hated to leave her so he stayed with her, tucking them both in until he eventually fell back to sleep. 

When the mother woke up in the morning, she was still curled into Sam with her head on his chest. She felt slightly embarrassed for waking him up in the middle of the night, but she was glad he stayed with her. She slept peacefully in his arms. She tried to untangle herself from him slowly, but her movement caused him to wake up. 

“Hey.” He said. 

“Hi.” She smiled at him. “Thank you for being here last night. You really helped calm me down.” 

“You’re welcome.” He gave her a slight nod of his head. “I know you might not want to talk about it yet with me, but I’m here when you are ready to talk.” 

“Thank you.” She leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “It really means a lot to me Sam.” She got up and grabbed her clothes. “I should be getting ready.” She said before retreating from the room. 

That next night Sam was ready for what may come. Hearing Mercedes scream hurt him inside, but he knew that she had to work through this. When she screamed again, he ran into her room to help soothe her once more. That became a habit for a week until Sam just decided for them to sleep together in bed. Mercedes didn’t question it because she liked having him there and when he was there, her nightmares became less and less frequent. 

Since then, they started to act more like a couple each and every day. When Mercedes had kissed him goodbye accidentally before work, a whole other can of worms was opened. They started to kiss more and more, but it never went past kissing. Either one of them would pull back before it got too far. 

A month and a week after that, both Mercedes and Sam were trying to cover their ears from the sounds of Santana, Brittany and Artie going at it. Even though they were in the other apartment, the sound carried all the way to them which caused both of them to not be able to sleep. 

“You know…” The blonde sighed. “We should probably move out and get a place of our own.” 

The mother agreed. “Yes we should.” She nodded her head. 

That was all it took for them to start apartment hunting. It took them a month to find the best place for them and Ella, but they managed it. It was a two bedroom, one bathroom apartment with a big kitchen and living room. It also had a balcony that looked over a forest. The apartment was in a nice part of town and the place had a recreation department that held a pool and tennis courts which was fun for Sam and Mercedes. 

Both the parents were involved in decorating Ella’s room, they sometimes conflicted, but Mercedes let Sam have a say more. Sam knew that Mercedes was compensating for him missing the first four months with Ella and Mercedes pregnancy though. He didn’t like it, but he would take it for now. 

Ella was doing so well. She had learned to sit up on her own and she was a little bigger that her parents just couldn’t believe how big she was. She had also started to sleep all through the night which was a weight off of both Sam and Mercedes backs. 

When Mercedes had gone to her therapy session that week, she was so happy. She couldn’t contain her enthusiasm when she spoke to her therapist. When she was done, her therapist brought out some real truths.

“So… basically you, Ella and Sam are acting like a family. You and Sam are acting like a couple without full intimacy and honesty.” 

“Um…” Mercedes didn’t know what to say to that. “Yeah I guess.” 

“When are you going to tell Sam about what happened to you?” Her therapist asked. 

“I don’t know.” She bit her lip.

“You should tell him Mercedes. From what I can tell, he won’t judge you. He will try his best to understand what happened to you too. You have opened up to me about it which is the first step, but I think it’s time for you to open up to him about it. Sam has proven to you that he would never hurt you. He has proven to you that he is here to stay. I want you to also establish you’re dynamic with him. Are you boyfriend and girlfriend? Just dating? Roommates who occasionally kiss? Once you are fully honest with him, then I want you both to come in for a therapy session. Until that happens, I don’t want to see you until then.” The therapist said, bringing their meeting to a close.

“Okay.” The mother nodded her head before she left. “Okay.” 

Her therapist was right. She did need to be honest with Sam. She had promised to tell him when she was ready and she thought that she was finally ready to do it especially with her therapist giving her the push that she needed. She arranged that night for her friends to watch Ella and cooked Sam’s favorite meal. 

Sam could tell right away that something was up when he got home. No Ella and his favorite meal on the table? That was just unheard of. They both ate quietly, not wanting to break the silence until they were both ready.

Once they had finished, Sam grabbed the dishes and did them quickly. Once he was done, he found that Mercedes had gone outside on the balcony. He followed her out there and sat down next to her. “So…” He started. “What was all that?”

“What I can’t just surprise you with your favorite meal and no daughter to watch?” Mercedes asked.

“Well I’m not complaining.” He chuckled. “I think that I know something is up though.” 

“You’re right.” She nodded her head. “I think that I’m finally ready to tell you what happened to me. You deserve to hear it.”

“Oh…” Sam gulped. “Go on.” 

It took a little while for her to work up the courage to speak, but she eventually did. “My dad left before I was even born. My mother died in child birth. I was shipped off to be raised by my aunt and uncle. My aunt disliked me from the start. She never wanted kids, but she ended up getting stuck with me thanks to her careless sister. My uncle was a bad character. He abused my aunt. And once I got to a certain age, he abused me too and did much worse things...” Mercedes broke off, choking up a little as tears fell down her eyes. “He molested me repeatedly for four years. The day that I turned sixteen, I got my driver’s license. I had studied so hard and was so nervous, but I managed to pass. That day, I ran away in my car with very few measly possessions and not a whole lot of money to my name, but I never looked back. It helped that I looked older. People had mistaken me for eighteen and not sixteen and I also had a nice fake ID. That had helped me to get jobs wherever I went. Because my aunt didn’t really care about me, she never reported me missing which also helped me out.”

Tears came to Sam’s eyes and he placed a gentle hand on Mercedes arm, urging her to continue.

“See I never really had a good representation of a male in my life. From my dad leaving me to what happened… You came around and you flipped my whole world upside down. You are everything I didn’t know that I needed. I thought I would be happy on the road and free forever, but you make me happy Sam. You and Ella.”

“I am so sorry about what happened to you Mercedes. I hope that man rots in hell for what he did to you and if I ever come across him… I’ll put him six feet under.” He wiped away her tears as more fell down his own cheeks. “I would never do that to you at all. You breezed into my life and you stole my heart right away. You make me happy too Mercedes.” 

She looked up into his eyes and saw the honesty in them. As he kept wiping away her tears, she brought her own hands up to wipe away his. “I love you Sam.” 

“I love you too Mercedes.” He leaned forward and they shared a deep sensual kiss. 

Mercedes broke away when she needed air and then started laughing, wiping the last few of her tears away. 

“What’s so funny?” Sam asked with a frown on his face.

She didn’t mean to laugh and at the blonde’s question, she stopped. “I’m sorry. It’s just that my therapist wanted me to define my relationship with you and here we are with our declarations of love. I just thought it was ironic.” 

He chuckled a little, shaking his head. “Well I think I like your therapist. So… what are we?” He asked with a raised brow.

“We’re together.” She shrugged.

“Like boyfriend and girlfriend together?”

With a nod of her head, she confirmed his question. “Like boyfriend and girlfriend together.” 

“I like the sound of that.” The blonde smiled.

“Me too.” She smiled back at him. “So now that we have gotten that taken care of, my therapist wants you and I to do a session with her.” 

“I’m willing to do that with you.” 

“Great. We can set up a time when we are both free with no Ella.” She sighed. “Speaking of our daughter, she looked at the time on her watch. “We should probably go pick her up from Artie, Santana and Britt’s.” 

“Yeah, you’re right.” He stood up and held out a hand to help her up. They both left their apartment quickly in a rush to see their daughter again. Some family time was exactly what they needed after that emotional talk. 

It took them a week to sit down with Mercedes therapist. 

The therapist had greeted them both and then they sat down opposite of her. Once settled, she started off right away. “So since you are both here, I’m guessing that you have established your dynamic and Sam knows about Mercedes past that caused her to be distrustful of men. Am I right?”

“Yes, you are.” They both nodded.

“Good. That’s good news.” The therapist smiled. “Now… after hearing Mercedes story Sam, do you resent her for the four months you didn’t get to spend with your daughter? Do you resent her for leaving?”

“No.” Sam shook his head. “I never resented her. I was hurt and upset by what she did, but I didn’t resent her. That hurt has faded now that I’ve spent time with both Mercedes and my daughter. I don’t think it will every fully go away, but I have moved passed it. I understand now why she left and I don’t blame her for it. It’s what I would have done in her situation.” He said honestly.

“Do you trust her now not to leave you or leave with Ella?” 

“Yes, I trust her not to leave. She’s proven to me in the months we’ve been together that I can.” He reached across to give his girlfriend’s hand a squeeze.

“Mercedes…” The therapist started. “Do you feel like when the going gets tough that you can handle it without wanting to run away? And it will get tough, relationships are. And when you feel this way, will you turn instead to Sam?”

She took a deep breath before responding. “The urge to run is still there, but one glance at Ella or Sam and it disappears. I know that it will get tough, but I do intend to lean on my boyfriend when that happens. He has proven to me that I can.”

“That is such good news. You both have really worked on your trust issues with each other. Communication might still be a bit of problem. It is with a lot of people sometimes so I hope that you can both work on communicating more. And with that said, I think this session is done. If you would like to continue with my services, I would be more than happy, but right now I feel like you are ready to tackle things head on together.” 

“Thank you Dr. Cooper.” Mercedes got up and shook the therapist’s hand. 

Sam copied Mercedes and shook the woman’s hand after his girlfriend. “Yes, thank you. Goodbye.” He said before he held hands with Mercedes as they left. 

They weren’t perfect. Their relationship wasn’t perfect, but it was a beautiful start.


	8. Epilogue

“GABRIELLA SAMANTHA EVANS!” Mercedes Evans yelled upstairs to where her six year old daughter was currently in her room. “YOU GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!” 

A little patter of feet could be heard upstairs and then coming slowly down the stairs. She rounded the corner and Mercedes saw her, looking all innocent for whatever she had done this time. 

“Explain this.” She pointed at her year old son and their dog Stitch that were laying on the floor. They had gotten Stitch when Ella turned two for her birthday. She was obsessed with the movie Lilo and Stitch at that time and was adamant that they name the puppy Stitch. Sam being how he is immediately gave in to her. He had gone through his puppy stage and mellowed out now, still playful with Sam when her husband egged him on though. Their son Grayson loved to play with him and the Australian Shepherd let him and most of the time thought he was like a sheep that he had to herd. 

“Well… I was bored soImadeGraysonintoasmurfandstitchintostitch…” Her daughter rushed out.

“Repeat that slowly.” Mercedes said, crossing her arms and giving her a glare that could melt an ice sculpture.

“I made Grayson into a Smurf and Stitch into Stitch.” Ella said with a guilty smile on her face. 

“And why would you think that it would be okay to do a thing like that?” 

“I don’t know.” The daughter shrugged her shoulders. “But Addy helped.” 

Addy was short for Adelina. She was the middle child and was three years old. Ella and Addy normally got into trouble a lot, but Ella was always the instigator. Mercedes wondered if Ella really threw Addy under the bus or if she was lying. “Are you lying to me?” The mother could always tell when her oldest lied because she would stick out her tongue and lick the corners of her mouth before responding. 

“Umm…” She paused to lick the corners of her mouth. “No…” 

“You are lying and I can tell. Since you lied to me, you get no TV, no toys and a time out in your room for two hours. One hour for turning your brother and dog blue and the other because you lied.” 

“But mom…” Ella started to cry.

“I don’t want to hear it.” Mercedes shook her head. She guided her daughter upstairs to her room and started to collect all the toys she had taken in there from the toy closet. “The time begins now and I want you to think about what you have done.”

The oldest sibling was still crying that her words came out unintelligible. 

Mercedes shook her head and closed the door, dropping off all the toys into the toy closet on her way to Addy’s room. “What are you doing Addy?”

The middle child glanced up from what she was doing at her desk to look at her mom. “I’m coloring.” 

“Now are we supposed to be coloring when your mom asked you for something which you clearly haven’t done yet?” 

“Uh I guess not.” Addy shrugged.

“What did I ask you to do?” Mercedes asked.

“Clean up my room.” 

“And have you done that?” The mother gave the room a once over, shaking her head a little. 

“No…” The daughter shook her head. 

“So can you please stop coloring and do what I asked?” 

“But why mom? Nobody is going to be in my room.” She pouted.

Mercedes shook her head. “I’ve already told you. We are having company later. Sam’s family is coming over. You know your grandpa, aunt and uncle right?” 

“Yes.” She nodded.

“And I know that you are going to want to show them your room since we gave you bunk beds last week. Am I right?” She raised an eyebrow as she looked at her daughter.

“Yes.” 

“Then would you want to have them see a messy room or a clean room?” 

It took Addy a little while to think about it, but she eventually came to a conclusion. “I guess a clean one.” 

“That’s right. Now can you please clean up your room? I wouldn’t want to have to ask you a third time.” The mother stated. 

“Okay.” The daughter said, getting up from her desk to clean up.

Mercedes then went back downstairs, wondering how the heck she was going to clean up Grayson and Stitch. She wondered what her daughter had used to color them, but then spotted the culprit right away. The acrylic paint that they used during arts and craft time. This meant that it wouldn’t come off easily and the mother already had enough on her plate to deal with. She was just lucky that she bought the toxic free paint as well otherwise she would be stuck in the emergency room all night. 

Sam chose at that moment to come home. He walked through the door and set down his things, going over to his wife to give her a kiss on the lips which she rebuffed. 

“Look at what your oldest daughter did.” She pointed to where Grayson was still playing with Stitch in his play pen. 

The dad saw what his wife was pointing to and immediately started to laugh. 

“This isn’t funny Sam.” Mercedes yelled. “Of all the days she chose to do this, it was today. When I still have to cook dinner for your family that is coming over in an hour and still clean up the rest of the house.” 

When seeing how stressed his wife was, Sam stopped laughing. “Okay, take a deep breath in and out.” He stated. 

She rolled her eyes, but did as he asked. 

“Now give your husband some sugar.” He said pointing to his lips. 

She chuckled, but then leaned up on her toes to give her husband a passionate kiss. 

“Feel better?” Sam asked. 

“A little.” She nodded her head, her husband always had a way of making her feel better. 

“Good.” He smiled. “Now why don’t I take Stitch and Grayson up for a bath to see if I can get them clean and back to normal, but I’m sorry baby I just have to take a picture of this because it really is too funny.”

“Yeah…” Mercedes chuckled. “It kind of is.” 

Sam found the camera in the kitchen and went back, taking a couple of pictures of his son and dog. He put the camera back and then picked up his son who immediately said dada and then looked back down to where Stitch was and said doggie. “After I give them a bath and put Grayson in fresh clothes, I will clean up the upstairs and you my love can start cooking dinner and clean up the downstairs. Does that sound like a plan?” 

The mother nodded her head. “Yes.” 

Like her therapist said so many years ago, things were going to be hard. Sometimes they were and sometimes she felt so blessed. She was graced with three beautiful children and a wonderful husband.   
After their therapy session, Sam and Mercedes continued to grow closer. They also started to be more intimate with each other, but didn’t go all the way until their six month anniversary.   
Before that Sam had introduced her to his dad and siblings and she fit right in with them which he was grateful for. They really warmed up to Mercedes fast and adopted her into their family with talks of when he was going to put a ring on it already. His family also finally met Ella and they were as taken with her as he was. 

On their one year anniversary since getting back together officially, Sam proposed to Mercedes. She of course said yes and was beyond happy. 

Since she didn’t really have any family, she wanted to elope as soon as possible. Sam however wanted his family and friends there and wanted a wedding. They settled on a small wedding in front of friends and family with Santana being the one to officiate their wedding. It was held in a beautiful ranch outside of Nashville Tennessee. Ella was the flower girl, a task that she loved. Brittany was the maid of honor and Artie was the best man. They only had one groomsmen and one bridesmaid which were Sam’s siblings, Stevie and Stacie. The people in attendance were mainly Sam’s family, some family friends and some of Sam’s friends. Mercedes didn’t really know anyone to invite, but Sam had manage to wrangle up some of her friends from her work jobs all over which was a surprise to her on the day because she never thought she would see them again. 

Mercedes wore a simple but elegant gown that Santana and Brittany had helped her to find. The dress had a lace bodice that showcased her breasts quite well. The rest of the dress was made of silk and the fabric stopped right below her knee. 

Ella’s dress was kind of like her mother’s, but was floor length and higher in the front. 

Brittany got to choose her dress, but the color had to be purple which was Mercedes’ color. The style was mermaid with a one shoulder strap that made her look pretty. 

Artie got to pick his own tux as well just as long as he had a purple handkerchief. It was a great four piece suit that looked great on him.

Sam’s tux was similar to Artie’s, but his vest was purple instead of black because he wanted it to be slightly different. 

Stevie wore the same suit as Artie did and Stacie wore a two strap dress similar to Brittany’s. 

When the music started, Sam couldn’t wait to see the mother of his child walk down the aisle. Ella was first and she scattered roses here and there. Once she caught sight of her dad though, she ran to him and forgot about the basket with rose petals in it. Sam chuckled as well as the guests in attendance and he scooped up his daughter, holding her to him.

Stevie and Stacie were next and they both looked great as they walked down the aisle. 

Brittany chose to sit on Artie’s lap as he wheeled them down the aisle. It was a really cute picture. 

Then finally it was Mercedes. Since she didn’t have anyone to walk her down the aisle, Sam’s dad offered to do it which she gladly accepted. She was so thankful to him for doing this for her. She squeezed his arm a little tightly because of her nerves, but once she saw Sam all of it went away. He was holding on to their girl and he was such an amazing dad. She didn’t think they would get to this point again after what happened, but they did. She loved that he loved her. The way that he did it. The way that he forgave her and everything more. He was the best lover and companion that she could ask for and she was truly lucky. She didn’t realize that she was crying until they stopped right before Sam and Dwight hugged her and then wiped away her tears. 

“Mercedes, I’m so happy that Sam found you. He really needed that special person in his life and I see the way he loves you. I also see the way you love him and I just know that you two are going to last. I’m proud to call you my daughter-in-law.” He pulled away.

“Thank you Dwight. That means so much to me.” Mercedes wiped away the rest of her tears.

“Please call me dad.” 

“Okay dad.” She smiled at him and then Dwight placed her hand in Sam’s. She stepped up to meet her soon to be husband and their daughter he was holding in her arms. 

Sam passed Ella over to Dwight and then the ceremony started. 

Santana who was always frank, narrowed down the ceremony to all the brass tacks. Sam and Mercedes’ love spoke for itself. It didn’t need any love quotes or talks about it. “So we are gathered here today to witness the union of Samuel Nathan Evans and Mercedes Zanella Jones. Finally. I honestly thought we would never get here, but we did.” She chuckled as well as all the attendants and the happy couple. “They have both prepared their own vows. Sam if you will go first please.” 

“Mercedes, from the moment I first saw you I was entranced. You stole my heart and though we have had a bit of a bumpy ride. We’ve made it here today and I know that our love will last. I love how good of a mother you are to Ella and I can’t wait to add to our brood. I love how friendly you are and how you light up when you smile. I love your laugh because it is so infectious and causes me to laugh with you. I love that you let me in and gave me your heart as I have given you mine. I will continue to cherish it always from right now until forever.” Sam choked a little throughout on his words and some tears escaped his eyes, but he managed to say his vows that he prepared.

Mercedes was full on crying after Sam’s speech. She had no idea how she could continue. 

“Let’s have the bride pull herself together before she says her vows.” Santana said which made the crowd and the couple chuckle. 

Santana’s words were just what the mother needed to continue. “Sam, we have been through a lot. I am so grateful that you found me. I am so happy that you stuck around and loved me through all the bad stuff. You are a wonderful father to our daughter and I know you will be a great dad to any more children that we have. I didn’t know that I gave you my heart until it was too late, but I’m so glad that I gave my heart away to such a wonderful man. I don’t deserve your love, but I will work every day to deserve it. I love you so much baby.” She wiped away the tears that had spilled during her vows. 

“I love you too and you do deserve my love.” Sam smiled through his tears. 

“Now can we have the rings please?” Santana asked and then winked at Artie when he handed them over. “Now Sam, place the ring on Mercedes hand and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed.”

Sam gently placed the ring on Mercedes ring finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.” 

“Mercedes place the ring on Sam’s finger and say: With this ring, I thee wed.” 

Mercedes placed the ring on Sam’s finger and repeated the phrase.

“Okay! Now by the power vested in me by the online certification course I took, you are now husband and wife.” 

Sam and Mercedes smiled at each other.

“Kiss each other people so that I can get some cake. I’m starving.” Santana rolled her eyes at the couple and then clapped along with the rest of the guests when they shared a sweet and passionate kiss. 

The rest of the night passed by in a blur for the couple. Looking back, they just remember the highlights of the wedding. They danced the night away and shared a hotel room while Ella was watched by Dwight. They couldn’t really afford a honeymoon, but they promised each other that they would go on a real honeymoon when they could afford it. 

They both started to save up since that day and after Ella turned two, they asked Santana, Artie and Brittany to watch her for half of the week and Dwight to watch her for the other half while they went on their honeymoon. They had both decided on Jamaica and had a wonderful time. They walked on the beach, made love, and reveled in each other. 

A couple of weeks after that, Mercedes found out that she was pregnant again. She told Sam right away and he was ecstatic. Now they were both saving up for the baby and hopefully to move into a house big enough for their growing family. The dad didn’t want to know the sex of the baby so they both didn’t find out until the birth. 

The father was with his wife the whole way, maybe going a little overboard at times. Mercedes allowed it though because it made him happy and she had to make things up to him. That’s why when they found out it was a girl after the delivery, she allowed her husband to pick out the name. She dreaded that he was going to go with a sci-fi or superhero character like Leia or Gamora. He surprised her though when he said Adelina Mary for her name. She loved that he was honoring his mother by using her name as their kids’ middle name. 

Being in their apartment with two kids was a tight fit. Addy was in the room with them so that Mercedes could breastfeed, but the little space was becoming a problem. It took them a little while to find a great house for their family. They were house hunting for a couple months, but came up empty. That changed when another house came onto the market. It was a beautiful four bedroom home with a big kitchen and dining room. Mercedes and Sam both fell in love with the house that they just had to have it. Luckily they managed to close on it and the house was theirs. It took them a full weekend to move in. The house still needed some decorating, but it was their home. 

A little while after Addy turned two, Mercedes found out she was pregnant for the third time. They never really said how much kids they wanted to have, but she was happy and so was Sam. He didn’t go as overboard with this pregnancy as he did with Addy’s. They both wanted to find out the sex this time and Sam was happy that they were having a boy. He needed someone to agree with him instead of him always being outvoted because he was the only guy. He wanted to play catch with him and teach him all sorts of things. 

They both settled on a name for him, siding with Grayson Dwight. When their youngest arrived and Dwight arrived at the hospital, the grandfather was thrilled. He was so thrilled that he wanted to move closer to them and he did along with Stevie and Stacie. They were all happy about the move and that meant they had some more babysitters close by. It also meant that Mercedes could give the family some home cooked food. Dwight had learned enough trying to support two kids by himself, but he wasn’t the best cook. Stacie and Stevie always loved going by Sam and Mercedes place for dinner which is why they had them over often. 

While the ham and scallop potatoes she made was cooking in the oven, Mercedes cleaned up the downstairs. She set the table then and made some green beans. Her husband joined her, wrapping his arms around her while she stirred. 

He started to kiss her neck which made her smile. 

“How was work baby?” She asked. 

“It was kind of hectic with a lot to do, but I’m glad I’m home now. Grayson and Stitch are clean. Not all of the blue paint would come off, but most of it did. The upstairs is also clean.” He nibbled on her ear.

“I’m sorry it was hectic baby. I’m glad that you are home too. Thank you. Your dad and siblings should be here any minute.” She turned off the stove and moved over the beans to another burner. Turning around, she nestled into her husband’s arms. “Thank you for cheering me up. Sometimes our kids just drive me crazy. I think Ella just knows how to push my buttons.” She shakes her head. 

“You’re welcome baby. It’s my job and I understand. She is a precocious one, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she is.” She chuckled, reaching up she grabbed onto Sam’s head and brought his lips down to hers. 

They kissed passionately, only stopping when the doorbell rang. 

“I’ll go get that.” The dad said, giving his wife one last kiss. 

“I’ll finish up in here and then grab the kids.” She waved him away, grabbed a hot pad and the beans and put them on the dining room table. She went upstairs as Addy was coming down. “Go greet our guest sweets.” She smiled at her girl. Getting to Ella’s room, she opened the door to find her daughter reading in her chair. “Okay Ella. You’re time out is over. Go say hello to your grandpa, aunt and uncle.” 

“Yay!” She screamed, running out of her room immediately. 

That made the mother chuckle. She went into Grayson’s room and grabbed him from his crib. Going downstairs, she greeted her guests who were seated at the table. “I made ham and scalloped potatoes everyone. Please dig in.” She looked all around the table and celebrated her family. She might not have been born with them, but they adopted her all the same. She was truly blessed with a beautiful home, a wonderful husband and amazing kids. She didn’t know how life could get any better and even on her worst days, her family turned things around for her. She wondered how life would be if she never met Sam, or if he never had found her. Honestly she didn’t want to think like that because she couldn’t imagine life without all of these wonderful people. 

And then they lived life to its fullest.


End file.
